Water Based Solutions and health in urban areas: a threefold pathway according to environmental psychology

Many cities worldwide have historically been built near rivers, lakes and coastlines for better access to water for irrigation, drinking, transport, commerce and power generation. Besides advantages for survival and economic prosperity, the proximity of these outdoor ‘blue spaces’ (i.e. rivers, lakes, ponds, fountains, coastlines) also has potential benefits for health and well-being. It is, however, essential that waters be clean in order to provide benefits to cities and their inhabitants. Where the potential effects of nature on general health and well-being have been widely studied and proven to be of a positive nature, the study of the impact of living near blue spaces on health and well-being is rather new but nevertheless promising and insightful. This chapter presents an overview of some positive effects of the presence of clean blue spaces on general and mental health in urban areas. Finally, a specific case study on natural versus built areas within school playgrounds is used to generally exemplify how a specific NBS design can improve pupils’ cognition when properly used within school routines for breaks.